Dr Sun Yat-sen may be the Provincial President of newly found Republic of China, but he held the post for a short while, thereafter he had to pass the post to Yuan Shikai. Dr Sun realized that he needed his own military forces for revolution.
After the death of Yuan Shikai, China fragmented into numerous fiefdoms ruled by warlords. Sun Yat-sen attempted in 1917 and 1920 to set up a base in his native Guangdong to launch a northern campaign to unite China under his Three Principles of the People. However, his government remained militarily weaker than local warlords armies. Calls by Sun for arms and money were ignored by the western powers.
Then in 1921 the representative of Comintern, Henk Sneevliet (using the name Maring), met with Sun in Guangxi. He proposed to set up a military academy and train the revolutionary army, which confirmed Sun's ideas and he eventually accepted. The Chinese Communist Party sent Li Dazhao and Lin Boqu (林伯渠) to discuss with Sun and his party on how to set up this academy.
In 1924, in the 1st National Congress of Kuomintang, the policy of alliance with the Soviet Union and CCP was passed as guidance for KMT. As a result, the final decision of establishment of a military academy was made and preparatory committee was set up accordingly. The money necessary for the construction and support of the Academy in 1924-1925 was provided by the Soviets.
The Nationalist Party of China Army Officer Academy (中国国民党陆军军官学校/中國國民黨陸軍軍官學校), commonly known as the Whampoa Military Academy (黄埔军校), was a military academy in the Republic of China (ROC) that produced many prestigious commanders who fought in many of China's conflicts in the 20th century, notably the Northern Expedition, the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War.
Chiang Kai-shek(蔣中正/蔣介石) was appointed the first commandant of the academy. Liao Zhongkai (廖仲愷), the famous leftist of Kuomintang and Sun's treasury secretary, was appointed as representative of KMT to the academy. Zhou Enlai, Hu Han-min and Wang Ching-wei were among the instructors in the political department. He Yingqin and Ye Jianying were once military instructors.
The military academy was officially opened on May 1, 1924 under the Kuomintang (KMT), but the first lessons began on June 16, 1924. The inauguration was on Changzhou Island offshore from the Whampoa dock in Guangzhou, thus earning its common name. During the inaugural ceremonies, Sun Yat-sen delivered a speech that was later to become the lyrics of the national anthem of the Republic of China.
The original Whampoa Military Academy existed from 1924 to 1926, over 6 terms it enrolled more than 7000.
Sun Yat-sen died on March 12, 1925, creating a power vacuum in the Kuomintang. Liao Zhongkai was one of the three most powerful figures in the Kuomintang Executive Committee, the other two were Wang Jingwei and Hu Hanmin. A contest ensued between Chiang, who stood at the right wing of the KMT, and Sun Yat-sen's close comrade-in-arms Wang Jingwei, who leaned towards the left. Liao was assassinated before a Kuomintang Executive Committee meeting on August 30, 1925 in Guangzhou, Hu was suspected and arrested, and Wang Jingwei was the only one left. On June 5, 1926, Chiang became Commander-in-Chief of the National Revolutionary Army (NRA), and on July 27 he launched a military campaign known as the Northern Expedition in order to defeat the warlords controlling northern China and to unify the country under the KMT. Chiang Kai-shek occupied Shanghai in April 1927, and began a bloody suppression of suspected Communists known as the "White Terror". Within several weeks of Chiang's suppression of Communists in Shanghai Wang's leftist government was attacked by a KMT-aligned warlord and disintegrated, leaving Chiang as the sole legitimate leader of the Republic. Chiang Kai-shek purged the Chinese Communist Party during the Northern Expedition, which caused the beginning of Chinese civil war. Wang Jingwei's National Government was weak militarily, and was soon ended by Chiang with the support of a local warlord. Wang, fearing retribution as a Communist sympathizer,publicly claimed allegiance to Chiang and fled to Europe. Chiang become the Chairman of the Nationalist Government of China on 10-10-1928 and new political power in modern China until 1949.
The academy was moved to the newly established capital in Nanjing after the defeat of the warlords in 1928. The academy moved again to Chengdu during the Japanese invasion. In 1950, after the Communist victory on mainland China and the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the academy was re-established in Fengshan, Kaohsiung County (now part of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan as the Chinese Military Academy (陸軍官校) and changed name in 2004 to the Military University. (軍官大學) The site of the original academy in Guangzhou is now a museum.
Note: In 1925, Chiang Ching-Kuo, son of Chiang Kai-shek went on to Moscow to study at a Communist school. Ching-kuo was an enthusiastic student of Communist ideology, particularly Trotskyism. He lived in Russia for 12 years and have a Russian wife, Faina Ipat'evna Vakhreva,one son and one daughter were born in Russia.
For reader's information, Dr Sun also had pilot training school in Japan, and modern army training base in USA.
It is also interesting to know that Wang Jingwei, the successor of Dr Sun faced the same problem of no support by own army. The political power was within the hands of General Chiang Kai-shek,a military dictator and a fake republican, like General Yuan Shikai, taken away the fruit of Xinhai Revolution, obstruct the road to democracy and Republic. The military power prevail over the democratic constitutional forces, the democrats and republicans, who due to lack of military power to protect their belief, failed one by one, some were assassinated or faded away on the way... the winner were military opportunist General Chiang Kai-shek and Chinese communists, who bought the people more wars, dead, and sufferings....
辛亥革命以来，共和制度的生存非常短暂，阻碍民主的反动势力并未受到致命的打击，以至孙中山先生在长达10年捍卫共和的历程中，充满了浓郁的悲剧色彩。俄国革命的胜利使孙中山看到了希望。他创建黄埔军校，为了统一全国，他再次进行北伐。
Monday, October 10, 2011
Wuchang Uprising - The Choice by the people
The New Armies (新軍) were the modernized Qing armies, trained and equipped according to Western standards. The first of the new armies was founded in 1895, following Japan's victory in the First Sino-Japanese War.
On December 8, 1895, Empress Dowager Cixi appointed Yuan Shikai the commander of the 4,000 men who formed the basis of the first New Army. Further expanded to 7,000, this New Army became the most formidable of the three army groups stationed near Beijing and proved effective against the Boxers in Shandong province. Yuan showed his loyalty to the Qing court, albeit little more than symbolically, by committing a detachment to relieve Beijing from foreign hands.
The New Army was gradually expanded and upgraded in the following years. Yuan became increasingly disrespectful of the dynasty and only loyal to the party from which he benefited; his defection to Cixi against Guangxu Emperor was a major blow to the Hundred Days Reform. After 1900, Yuan's troops were the only militia that the Qing court could rely on amidst revolutionary uprisings throughout China.
The successful example of the new army was followed in other provinces. The New Army of Yuan was renamed the Beiyang Army on June 25, 1902 after Yuan was officially promoted to the "Minister of Beiyang". By the end of the dynasty in 1911, most provinces had established sizable new armies; however, Yuan's army was still most powerful, comprising six groups and numbering more than 75,000 men. The Qing unified all of China's armies into one force, the "Chinese Army", which was commonly still called the New Army. Two-thirds of the Chinese Army was Yuan's Beiyang Army.
During the Xinhai Revolution, most of the non-Beiyang forces as well as some Beiyang units in the Chinese Army revolted against the Qing. Yuan led the Beiyang Army into opposing the revolution while also negotiating for the Qing's surrender and his ascendency to the presidency of the new republic.
There were 5,000 new army in Hubei. About 75% were either member of the revolutionary movement or supporters.
The uprising itself broke out by accident. At the time there were two local revolutionary groups ready in Wuhan, the Literary society (文學社) and the Progressive Association (共進會). The two groups worked together led by Chiang Yi-wu (蔣翊武) and Sun wu (孫武).
The Wuchang Uprising began with the dissatisfaction of the handling of a railway crisis. The crisis then escalated to an uprising where the revolutionaries went up against Qing government officials. The uprising was then assisted by the New Army in a coup against their own authorities in the city of Wuchang, Hubei province on October 10, 1911.[1] The Battle of Yangxia led by Huang Xing would be the major battle in the uprising. These events served as a catalyst to the Xinhai Revolution, which led to the collapse of the Qing dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). It was actually New Army Mutiny.
They met in Yanzhi Lu and decided mutiny to be on Mid-Autumn festival (6-10-1911), but the date was disclosed by the drunken soldiers, the government army imposed curfew, the date was postponed to 9-10-1911. An accident by cigarettes caused an exposure, which resulted in the alert of the government army, and the Member Register of Revolutionaries was obtained by the army. Sun wu (孫武)was seriously injured.
Facing arrest, and certain execution, the revolutionaries had their identities revealed. They had no choice but to stage a coup. Qing Viceroy of Huguang Duan Zheng (瑞澂) tried to track down the revolutionaries. Jiang Yiwu (蔣翊武) of the Literary society decided to launch an attack that night, but was discovered by the Qing. Before the mutiny started , the group were surrounded by the government army, 32 were captured except Chiang Yi-wu (蔣翊武).Several members were arrested and executed.
Xiong Bingkun (熊秉坤) then decided to revolt on the evening of October 10, 1911 at 7pm. The modernized New Army in Wuchang staged a mutiny. While the New Army belonged to the Qing government, it has already been infiltrated by the then exiled Sun Yat-sen's anti-Qing allegiance. This event would takeover the government house office of Duan Zheng, who was terrified and escaped from a dig-tunnel. After fierce fighting, the army captured strategic points in the city. More revolutionaries joined the revolt and the government troops were defeated.
This was the famous Wuchang Uprising or Wuchang Mutiny. The 18 star flag of the revolutionary was raised at famous Heyang tower. The uprising later spread to become Xinhai Revolution that ended the Qing Empire.
Sun Yat-sen himself played no direct part with the uprising in Wuchang. He was traveling in the United States, trying to drum up financial support from overseas Chinese. At the time he was at Denver Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. He received a telegram from Huang Xing that was one week old and could not decipher it because he did not have the secret key with him. The next morning he read in the newspaper headline that the city of Wuchang was occupied by the revolutionaries. After the wuchang uprising, the revolutionaries telegraphed the other provinces asking them to declare their independence, and 15 provinces declared their independence from the Qing dynasty in Southern China and Central China
Representatives from the seceding provinces met and declared the founding of the Republic of China on January 1, 1912. Sun Yat-sen would return to China on December 1911 to be elected provisional president of the Republic of China.
When the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 broke out, the Wuchang mutineers needed a visible high-ranking officer to be their figurehead. Li Yuanhong (黎元洪)was well respected, had supported the Railway Protection Movement, and knew English which would be useful in dealing with foreign concerns. He was reportedly dragged from hiding under his wife's bed and forced at gunpoint to be the provisional military governor of Hubei despite killing several of the rebels. Though reluctant at first, he embraced the revolution after its growing momentum and was named military governor of China on November 30.
Li was made vice president as a compromise and he formed People's Society to campaign for the presidency.
Sun eventually agreed to cede his provisional presidency to Yuan Shikai, in exchange for Yuan's help in pressuring the Last Emperor to abdicate. On February 12, 1912, Puyi, the Last Emperor stepped down from the throne. The Qing dynasty could no longer govern itself as it seemed to have forefeited the mandate of heaven. This brought an end to the imperial era.
The Wuchang Uprising was started basically by the new army of the Qing Empire, who were supporters of Tongmenhui, a form of mutiny. The one person who has done much of the ground work within the new army was Zhao Shen(趙聲, 1881-1911), the chief commander of the revolutionists in 2nd Guangzhou New Army Uprising(庚戌新军起义/廣州新軍起義) and the Huanghuakang Uprising(黃花崗起義). After the failure of Huanghuakang Uprising, he was so sad and become seriously ill, passed away on 18-4-1911. Zhao Shen, himself a new army official, would have participated in the Wuchang Uprising if he is still alive. Another one was Ni Yingdian(倪映典 1885-1910),who was the 2nd in command of 2nd Guangzhou Uprising or Guangzhou New Army Uprising( 庚戌新军起义/廣州新軍起義), also a new army.
Remember Hwang Xing(黃興),Zhao Shen(趙聲), and Ni Yingdian(倪映典)in Wuchang Uprising, they are the man behind the event.....their names may not be remember now in Mainland China and Taiwan. It was 100 years ago, many have fade memory or disregard the historical personality...
Choices were made which led to various historical events of China by the heroes of the era, the journey to Republic.
On December 8, 1895, Empress Dowager Cixi appointed Yuan Shikai the commander of the 4,000 men who formed the basis of the first New Army. Further expanded to 7,000, this New Army became the most formidable of the three army groups stationed near Beijing and proved effective against the Boxers in Shandong province. Yuan showed his loyalty to the Qing court, albeit little more than symbolically, by committing a detachment to relieve Beijing from foreign hands.
The New Army was gradually expanded and upgraded in the following years. Yuan became increasingly disrespectful of the dynasty and only loyal to the party from which he benefited; his defection to Cixi against Guangxu Emperor was a major blow to the Hundred Days Reform. After 1900, Yuan's troops were the only militia that the Qing court could rely on amidst revolutionary uprisings throughout China.
The successful example of the new army was followed in other provinces. The New Army of Yuan was renamed the Beiyang Army on June 25, 1902 after Yuan was officially promoted to the "Minister of Beiyang". By the end of the dynasty in 1911, most provinces had established sizable new armies; however, Yuan's army was still most powerful, comprising six groups and numbering more than 75,000 men. The Qing unified all of China's armies into one force, the "Chinese Army", which was commonly still called the New Army. Two-thirds of the Chinese Army was Yuan's Beiyang Army.
During the Xinhai Revolution, most of the non-Beiyang forces as well as some Beiyang units in the Chinese Army revolted against the Qing. Yuan led the Beiyang Army into opposing the revolution while also negotiating for the Qing's surrender and his ascendency to the presidency of the new republic.
There were 5,000 new army in Hubei. About 75% were either member of the revolutionary movement or supporters.
The uprising itself broke out by accident. At the time there were two local revolutionary groups ready in Wuhan, the Literary society (文學社) and the Progressive Association (共進會). The two groups worked together led by Chiang Yi-wu (蔣翊武) and Sun wu (孫武).
The Wuchang Uprising began with the dissatisfaction of the handling of a railway crisis. The crisis then escalated to an uprising where the revolutionaries went up against Qing government officials. The uprising was then assisted by the New Army in a coup against their own authorities in the city of Wuchang, Hubei province on October 10, 1911.[1] The Battle of Yangxia led by Huang Xing would be the major battle in the uprising. These events served as a catalyst to the Xinhai Revolution, which led to the collapse of the Qing dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). It was actually New Army Mutiny.
They met in Yanzhi Lu and decided mutiny to be on Mid-Autumn festival (6-10-1911), but the date was disclosed by the drunken soldiers, the government army imposed curfew, the date was postponed to 9-10-1911. An accident by cigarettes caused an exposure, which resulted in the alert of the government army, and the Member Register of Revolutionaries was obtained by the army. Sun wu (孫武)was seriously injured.
Facing arrest, and certain execution, the revolutionaries had their identities revealed. They had no choice but to stage a coup. Qing Viceroy of Huguang Duan Zheng (瑞澂) tried to track down the revolutionaries. Jiang Yiwu (蔣翊武) of the Literary society decided to launch an attack that night, but was discovered by the Qing. Before the mutiny started , the group were surrounded by the government army, 32 were captured except Chiang Yi-wu (蔣翊武).Several members were arrested and executed.
Xiong Bingkun (熊秉坤) then decided to revolt on the evening of October 10, 1911 at 7pm. The modernized New Army in Wuchang staged a mutiny. While the New Army belonged to the Qing government, it has already been infiltrated by the then exiled Sun Yat-sen's anti-Qing allegiance. This event would takeover the government house office of Duan Zheng, who was terrified and escaped from a dig-tunnel. After fierce fighting, the army captured strategic points in the city. More revolutionaries joined the revolt and the government troops were defeated.
This was the famous Wuchang Uprising or Wuchang Mutiny. The 18 star flag of the revolutionary was raised at famous Heyang tower. The uprising later spread to become Xinhai Revolution that ended the Qing Empire.
Sun Yat-sen himself played no direct part with the uprising in Wuchang. He was traveling in the United States, trying to drum up financial support from overseas Chinese. At the time he was at Denver Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. He received a telegram from Huang Xing that was one week old and could not decipher it because he did not have the secret key with him. The next morning he read in the newspaper headline that the city of Wuchang was occupied by the revolutionaries. After the wuchang uprising, the revolutionaries telegraphed the other provinces asking them to declare their independence, and 15 provinces declared their independence from the Qing dynasty in Southern China and Central China
Representatives from the seceding provinces met and declared the founding of the Republic of China on January 1, 1912. Sun Yat-sen would return to China on December 1911 to be elected provisional president of the Republic of China.
When the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 broke out, the Wuchang mutineers needed a visible high-ranking officer to be their figurehead. Li Yuanhong (黎元洪)was well respected, had supported the Railway Protection Movement, and knew English which would be useful in dealing with foreign concerns. He was reportedly dragged from hiding under his wife's bed and forced at gunpoint to be the provisional military governor of Hubei despite killing several of the rebels. Though reluctant at first, he embraced the revolution after its growing momentum and was named military governor of China on November 30.
Li was made vice president as a compromise and he formed People's Society to campaign for the presidency.
Sun eventually agreed to cede his provisional presidency to Yuan Shikai, in exchange for Yuan's help in pressuring the Last Emperor to abdicate. On February 12, 1912, Puyi, the Last Emperor stepped down from the throne. The Qing dynasty could no longer govern itself as it seemed to have forefeited the mandate of heaven. This brought an end to the imperial era.
The Wuchang Uprising was started basically by the new army of the Qing Empire, who were supporters of Tongmenhui, a form of mutiny. The one person who has done much of the ground work within the new army was Zhao Shen(趙聲, 1881-1911), the chief commander of the revolutionists in 2nd Guangzhou New Army Uprising(庚戌新军起义/廣州新軍起義) and the Huanghuakang Uprising(黃花崗起義). After the failure of Huanghuakang Uprising, he was so sad and become seriously ill, passed away on 18-4-1911. Zhao Shen, himself a new army official, would have participated in the Wuchang Uprising if he is still alive. Another one was Ni Yingdian(倪映典 1885-1910),who was the 2nd in command of 2nd Guangzhou Uprising or Guangzhou New Army Uprising( 庚戌新军起义/廣州新軍起義), also a new army.
Remember Hwang Xing(黃興),Zhao Shen(趙聲), and Ni Yingdian(倪映典)in Wuchang Uprising, they are the man behind the event.....their names may not be remember now in Mainland China and Taiwan. It was 100 years ago, many have fade memory or disregard the historical personality...
Choices were made which led to various historical events of China by the heroes of the era, the journey to Republic.
Xinhai Revolution(辛亥革命)
Today is the 100 Year Anniversary of Xinhai Revolution, and formation of Republic of China. Both Taiwan and Mainland China celebrated the 100 anniversary of the historical event on 10-10-1911.
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou(馬英九)said Monday that China should "move bravely toward freedom and democracy."
Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) yesterday used the centennial of a revolution that ended imperial rule to make an appeal to further relations with Taiwan, saying they should move beyond the history that divides them and focus on common economic and cultural interests. Hu said China and Taiwan should end antagonisms, “heal wounds of the past and work together to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” He stressed that “Achieving reunification by peaceful means best serves the fundamental interests of all Chinese, including our Taiwan compatriots,” Hu said, adding that the sides should increase economic competitiveness, promote Chinese culture and build on a sense of a common national identity.“We must strengthen our opposition to Taiwanese independence ... and promote close exchanges and cooperation between compatriots on both sides,” he said.
It seems the anniversary bought some good tidings, will the two leaders make history by moving together for unification. That their names will make history for themselves and the Chinese people prior to their retirement from politic.
Time is now short for both, as Hu jintao may be due to leave office from next year , and Ma Ying-jeou is to face President re-election soon.
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution (辛亥革命), also known as the Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing (1644-1912), and established the Republic of China. The revolution consist of many revolts and uprisings. The turning point is the Wuchang Uprising on October 10, 1911 that was a result of the mishandling of the Railway Protection Movement. The revolution ended with the abdication of the "Last Emperor" Puyi on February 12, 1912, that marked the end of over 2,000 years of Imperial China and the beginning of China's Republican era. The revolution name "Xinhai" is named after the sexagenary cycle of the Chinese calendar.
In general the revolution was a reaction to the declining Qing state and its inability to reform and modernize China to confront the challenges posed by foreign powers and reverse domestic decline, and the majority Han Chinese's resentment of the ruling Manchu minority. Many underground anti-Qing groups with the support of Chinese revolutionaries in exile have tried to overthrow the Qing. The brief civil war that ensued was ended through a political compromise between Yuan Shikai, the late Qing military strongman, and Sun Yat-sen, the leader of the Tongmenghui (United League). After the Qing court transferred power to the newly-founded republic, the formation of a provisional coalition government was created along with the National Assembly. Though political power of the new national government in Beijing was soon thereafter monopolized by Yuan and leading to decades of political division and warlordism, including several attempts at imperial restoration.
Today, both the Republic of China on Taiwan and the People's Republic of China on the mainland consider themselves to be successors to the Xinhai Revolution and continue to pay homage to the ideals of the revolution including nationalism, republicanism, modernization of China and the national unity. October 10 is commemorated in Taiwan as Double Ten Day, the National Day of the Republic of China. In mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, the same day is usually celebrated as the Anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution. Many overseas Chinese also celebrate the anniversary in Chinatowns across the world.
“For us, China’s Xinhai Revolution is still not dead history, it still has a strong resonance with present-day realities,” said Lei Yi, a historian at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. “A key lesson of the revolution is that the country’s fate depends on whether the rulers make the right choices about advancing reforms. Above all, there’s still the issue that a modern China needs a modern form of government — constitutional government.”
Remembering Xinhai Revolution in 1911, the revolutionists who lost their lives for the sake of the future of the China, will they be happy at the situation in the strait today?
Will they be happy to see the strait relationship been manipulated by the foreign power to gain political and economic benefits at the expense of the Chinese people?...
Will the mainland China prepare for a political reform to change to constitutional government system?.
The time is right now for unification,and is right time for reformation.
Are they bold and ready to make the first step?......
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou(馬英九)said Monday that China should "move bravely toward freedom and democracy."
Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) yesterday used the centennial of a revolution that ended imperial rule to make an appeal to further relations with Taiwan, saying they should move beyond the history that divides them and focus on common economic and cultural interests. Hu said China and Taiwan should end antagonisms, “heal wounds of the past and work together to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” He stressed that “Achieving reunification by peaceful means best serves the fundamental interests of all Chinese, including our Taiwan compatriots,” Hu said, adding that the sides should increase economic competitiveness, promote Chinese culture and build on a sense of a common national identity.“We must strengthen our opposition to Taiwanese independence ... and promote close exchanges and cooperation between compatriots on both sides,” he said.
It seems the anniversary bought some good tidings, will the two leaders make history by moving together for unification. That their names will make history for themselves and the Chinese people prior to their retirement from politic.
Time is now short for both, as Hu jintao may be due to leave office from next year , and Ma Ying-jeou is to face President re-election soon.
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution (辛亥革命), also known as the Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing (1644-1912), and established the Republic of China. The revolution consist of many revolts and uprisings. The turning point is the Wuchang Uprising on October 10, 1911 that was a result of the mishandling of the Railway Protection Movement. The revolution ended with the abdication of the "Last Emperor" Puyi on February 12, 1912, that marked the end of over 2,000 years of Imperial China and the beginning of China's Republican era. The revolution name "Xinhai" is named after the sexagenary cycle of the Chinese calendar.
In general the revolution was a reaction to the declining Qing state and its inability to reform and modernize China to confront the challenges posed by foreign powers and reverse domestic decline, and the majority Han Chinese's resentment of the ruling Manchu minority. Many underground anti-Qing groups with the support of Chinese revolutionaries in exile have tried to overthrow the Qing. The brief civil war that ensued was ended through a political compromise between Yuan Shikai, the late Qing military strongman, and Sun Yat-sen, the leader of the Tongmenghui (United League). After the Qing court transferred power to the newly-founded republic, the formation of a provisional coalition government was created along with the National Assembly. Though political power of the new national government in Beijing was soon thereafter monopolized by Yuan and leading to decades of political division and warlordism, including several attempts at imperial restoration.
Today, both the Republic of China on Taiwan and the People's Republic of China on the mainland consider themselves to be successors to the Xinhai Revolution and continue to pay homage to the ideals of the revolution including nationalism, republicanism, modernization of China and the national unity. October 10 is commemorated in Taiwan as Double Ten Day, the National Day of the Republic of China. In mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, the same day is usually celebrated as the Anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution. Many overseas Chinese also celebrate the anniversary in Chinatowns across the world.
“For us, China’s Xinhai Revolution is still not dead history, it still has a strong resonance with present-day realities,” said Lei Yi, a historian at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. “A key lesson of the revolution is that the country’s fate depends on whether the rulers make the right choices about advancing reforms. Above all, there’s still the issue that a modern China needs a modern form of government — constitutional government.”
Remembering Xinhai Revolution in 1911, the revolutionists who lost their lives for the sake of the future of the China, will they be happy at the situation in the strait today?
Will they be happy to see the strait relationship been manipulated by the foreign power to gain political and economic benefits at the expense of the Chinese people?...
Will the mainland China prepare for a political reform to change to constitutional government system?.
The time is right now for unification,and is right time for reformation.
Are they bold and ready to make the first step?......
Dawn of Qing Dynasty
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon. Dawn should not be confused with sunrise, which is the moment when the leading edge of the sun itself appears above the horizon. 100 years ago, today Qing Dynasty, China's last empire was facing its dawn day in history.....
The founding of Qing Dynasty 1644
Qing Dynasty(清朝),last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912. The Qing Dynasty was founded not by Han Chinese, who form the majority of the Chinese population, but a hunting, fishing, and farming people who would come to be known as the Manchus, and who are today an ethnic minority of China. The Manchus believed themselves to be descended from Jurchens (女真), a Tungusic people who lived around the region now comprising the Chinese provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang. During Hong Taiji(爱新觉罗氏皇太极,1592-1643)'s reign, the official name of "Manchu" (滿族) for all Jurchen people in November 1635. He also changed the name of his empire from Jin(金, historically known as later Jin 后金)to Qing(清). He is also known as Hóng Tàijí (洪太極) or Huáng Táijí (皇台吉). He continued the expansion of the state in the region later known as Manchuria, pushing deeper into Mongolia and raiding Korea and Ming China. His personal military abilities were widely praised and he effectively developed the military-civil administration known as the Eight Banners or Banner system. This system was well-suited to accept the different peoples, primarily Chinese and Mongols, who joined the Manchu state either following negotiated agreements or military defeat. Hong Taiji died on 21-9-1643, just few months before his army seize control of Beijing.
In 1644, the Ming Dynasty's capital of Beijing was sacked by a coalition of rebel forces led by Li Zicheng(李自成,1606-1645) a former minor Ming official who became the leader of the peasant revolt. The last Ming ruler, the 16th Ming emperor, Chongzhen Emperor(明思宗)committed suicide when the city fell. This make the official end of the Ming dynasty. Li Zicheng proclaimed himself as the Emperor of Shun Dynasty, and ruled over China briefly from 1643-1645, less than 2 years.
The Manchus then allied with Ming general Wu Sangui and seized control of Beijing and overthrew Shun Dynasty. Li's army was defeated on May 27, 1644 at the Battle of Shanhai Pass by the combined forces of Ming turncoat general Wu Sangui(吳三桂,1612-1678) and the Manchurians, Li fled from Beijing towards his base in Shaanxi. Historically, he disappeared and where about unknown. The empire of Han had ended, and China was ruled by foreigner, Manchu under Qing Dynasty, the mandate of heaven was given to a foreign race.
The first emperor of Qing Dynasty was Aisin Gioro Fulin(爱新觉罗福臨,1638-1661), the son of Hong Taiji who ruled from 1644-1661. He was actually the 3rd emperor of the Qing Dynasty but the first emperor to rule over China. He was given the title of The Shunzhi Emperor (順治帝), a child emperor. He ascended to the throne at the age of five (six according to traditional Chinese age reckoning) in 1643 upon the death of his father Hong Taiji, but actual power during the early part of his reign lay in the hands of the appointed regents, Princes Dorgon.
The dawn of Qing Dynasty
Qing empire was facing humiliation from foreign power,First Sino-Japanese War, Opium Wars, and was politically weak. It was in dilemma, facing the pressure from their own people to change and modernize. The reformists and revolutionists were actively fighting for their agenda. The Qing emperor was worry these movements were going after the country as a whole or their own power base. Initially they were for reformation, but later was fearful that they may lost their imperial power under Constitutional Monarchy. Ultimately the time was short for Qing, they no longer has luxuries of ample time to decide. It was the dawn time....
The Four Bandits and later Hsing Chung Hui(兴中会)in 1894 , Yang Heling(杨鹤龄) , Sun Yat-sen(孙中山), Chen Shaobai(陈少白) and You Lie(尤列)had arrived, Huang Xing(黄兴), Song Jiaoren(宋教仁) of The Huaxinghui(華興會) in 1904, and the same year Guāngfùhuì (光復會) formed by Cai Yuanpei(蔡元培),Tao Chengzhang (陶成章) ,龔寶銓、魏蘭, joined by Xu Xilin(徐錫麟)、Qiu Jin(秋瑾), Zhang Taiyan(章太炎). There were many more revolutionaries planning to overthrow Qing for the formation of Republic, they later become members of Tongmenhui. Never mind if you cannot remember the names, they were the names that make the history of modern China....
From 1889 to 1898, the Empress Dowager lived in the Summer Palace in semi-retirement. Guangxu Emperor was given the opportunity to actually walk out from her shallow of this powerful de factor ruler of China. But the opportunity was also too short, otherwise the fate of Qing may had changed.
After losing to Japan in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Guangxu Emperor initiated the Hundred Days' Reform, in which new laws were put in place and some old rules were abolished. Newer, more progressive-minded thinkers like Kang Youwei(康有为/康有為, 1858-1927) were trusted and recognized conservative-minded people like Li Hongzhang(李鸿章, 1823-1901) were removed from high positions. The reform movement,The Hundred Days' Reform(百日維新), was short-lived, for only 104 days. It ended in a coup d'état ("The Coup of 1898") by powerful conservative opponents led by Empress Dowager Cixi, in 1898. He was put under house arrest until his death.
Empress Dowager Cixi(慈禧太后, 1835-1908), issued an imperial edict in 1901 calling for reform proposals from the governors-general and governors and initiated the era of the dynasty's "New Policy", also known as the "Late Qing Reform". Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor(光绪帝, 1871-1908) both died in 1908, leaving a relatively powerless and unstable central authority. Aisin-Gioro Puyi(愛新覺羅．溥儀, 1906-1967, the oldest son of Prince Zaifeng(愛新覺羅載沣, 醇親王,1883-1951) was appointed successor at the age of two, leaving Zaifeng with the regency.
In April 1911 Zaifeng created a cabinet, in which there were two vice-premiers. Nevertheless, this cabinet was also known by contemporaries as "The Royal Cabinet" because among the thirteen cabinet members, five were members of the imperial family or Aisin Gioro relatives. This brought a wide range of negative opinions from senior officials like Zhang Zhidong(张之洞, 1837-1909).
Puyi's father, Prince Zaifeng(the 2nd Prince Chun), served as a regent until 6 December 1911 when Empress Dowager Longyu(隆裕皇后, actually Empress Xiao Ding Jing (孝定景皇后)) took over in the face of the Xinhai Revolution. She is best remembered for signing the abdication on behalf of the child Emperor Puyi, in 1911, ending imperial rule in China.
The dawn was too short for them.... Oct 10th 1911, Wuchang Uprising by the new army started the Xinhai Revolution, and the end of Qing Dynasty. The people had decided to change, by overthrowing the Qing emperor, by changing the political system of China, to become a republic.....
Today was the 100 years after the fall of Qing Empire....
Is the past lesson on the political history tell us something? We need to understand the people, otherwise the anger and desire for change by the people will decide the fate of the government.
It does not matter how long the government has ruled the country; the Jasmin flowers will always ready for the government who are not for the people.... just like Tunisia, Egypt, Libya...and the Qing Dynasty 100 years ago.....
The founding of Qing Dynasty 1644
Qing Dynasty(清朝),last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912. The Qing Dynasty was founded not by Han Chinese, who form the majority of the Chinese population, but a hunting, fishing, and farming people who would come to be known as the Manchus, and who are today an ethnic minority of China. The Manchus believed themselves to be descended from Jurchens (女真), a Tungusic people who lived around the region now comprising the Chinese provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang. During Hong Taiji(爱新觉罗氏皇太极,1592-1643)'s reign, the official name of "Manchu" (滿族) for all Jurchen people in November 1635. He also changed the name of his empire from Jin(金, historically known as later Jin 后金)to Qing(清). He is also known as Hóng Tàijí (洪太極) or Huáng Táijí (皇台吉). He continued the expansion of the state in the region later known as Manchuria, pushing deeper into Mongolia and raiding Korea and Ming China. His personal military abilities were widely praised and he effectively developed the military-civil administration known as the Eight Banners or Banner system. This system was well-suited to accept the different peoples, primarily Chinese and Mongols, who joined the Manchu state either following negotiated agreements or military defeat. Hong Taiji died on 21-9-1643, just few months before his army seize control of Beijing.
In 1644, the Ming Dynasty's capital of Beijing was sacked by a coalition of rebel forces led by Li Zicheng(李自成,1606-1645) a former minor Ming official who became the leader of the peasant revolt. The last Ming ruler, the 16th Ming emperor, Chongzhen Emperor(明思宗)committed suicide when the city fell. This make the official end of the Ming dynasty. Li Zicheng proclaimed himself as the Emperor of Shun Dynasty, and ruled over China briefly from 1643-1645, less than 2 years.
The Manchus then allied with Ming general Wu Sangui and seized control of Beijing and overthrew Shun Dynasty. Li's army was defeated on May 27, 1644 at the Battle of Shanhai Pass by the combined forces of Ming turncoat general Wu Sangui(吳三桂,1612-1678) and the Manchurians, Li fled from Beijing towards his base in Shaanxi. Historically, he disappeared and where about unknown. The empire of Han had ended, and China was ruled by foreigner, Manchu under Qing Dynasty, the mandate of heaven was given to a foreign race.
The first emperor of Qing Dynasty was Aisin Gioro Fulin(爱新觉罗福臨,1638-1661), the son of Hong Taiji who ruled from 1644-1661. He was actually the 3rd emperor of the Qing Dynasty but the first emperor to rule over China. He was given the title of The Shunzhi Emperor (順治帝), a child emperor. He ascended to the throne at the age of five (six according to traditional Chinese age reckoning) in 1643 upon the death of his father Hong Taiji, but actual power during the early part of his reign lay in the hands of the appointed regents, Princes Dorgon.
The dawn of Qing Dynasty
Qing empire was facing humiliation from foreign power,First Sino-Japanese War, Opium Wars, and was politically weak. It was in dilemma, facing the pressure from their own people to change and modernize. The reformists and revolutionists were actively fighting for their agenda. The Qing emperor was worry these movements were going after the country as a whole or their own power base. Initially they were for reformation, but later was fearful that they may lost their imperial power under Constitutional Monarchy. Ultimately the time was short for Qing, they no longer has luxuries of ample time to decide. It was the dawn time....
The Four Bandits and later Hsing Chung Hui(兴中会)in 1894 , Yang Heling(杨鹤龄) , Sun Yat-sen(孙中山), Chen Shaobai(陈少白) and You Lie(尤列)had arrived, Huang Xing(黄兴), Song Jiaoren(宋教仁) of The Huaxinghui(華興會) in 1904, and the same year Guāngfùhuì (光復會) formed by Cai Yuanpei(蔡元培),Tao Chengzhang (陶成章) ,龔寶銓、魏蘭, joined by Xu Xilin(徐錫麟)、Qiu Jin(秋瑾), Zhang Taiyan(章太炎). There were many more revolutionaries planning to overthrow Qing for the formation of Republic, they later become members of Tongmenhui. Never mind if you cannot remember the names, they were the names that make the history of modern China....
From 1889 to 1898, the Empress Dowager lived in the Summer Palace in semi-retirement. Guangxu Emperor was given the opportunity to actually walk out from her shallow of this powerful de factor ruler of China. But the opportunity was also too short, otherwise the fate of Qing may had changed.
After losing to Japan in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Guangxu Emperor initiated the Hundred Days' Reform, in which new laws were put in place and some old rules were abolished. Newer, more progressive-minded thinkers like Kang Youwei(康有为/康有為, 1858-1927) were trusted and recognized conservative-minded people like Li Hongzhang(李鸿章, 1823-1901) were removed from high positions. The reform movement,The Hundred Days' Reform(百日維新), was short-lived, for only 104 days. It ended in a coup d'état ("The Coup of 1898") by powerful conservative opponents led by Empress Dowager Cixi, in 1898. He was put under house arrest until his death.
Empress Dowager Cixi(慈禧太后, 1835-1908), issued an imperial edict in 1901 calling for reform proposals from the governors-general and governors and initiated the era of the dynasty's "New Policy", also known as the "Late Qing Reform". Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor(光绪帝, 1871-1908) both died in 1908, leaving a relatively powerless and unstable central authority. Aisin-Gioro Puyi(愛新覺羅．溥儀, 1906-1967, the oldest son of Prince Zaifeng(愛新覺羅載沣, 醇親王,1883-1951) was appointed successor at the age of two, leaving Zaifeng with the regency.
In April 1911 Zaifeng created a cabinet, in which there were two vice-premiers. Nevertheless, this cabinet was also known by contemporaries as "The Royal Cabinet" because among the thirteen cabinet members, five were members of the imperial family or Aisin Gioro relatives. This brought a wide range of negative opinions from senior officials like Zhang Zhidong(张之洞, 1837-1909).
Puyi's father, Prince Zaifeng(the 2nd Prince Chun), served as a regent until 6 December 1911 when Empress Dowager Longyu(隆裕皇后, actually Empress Xiao Ding Jing (孝定景皇后)) took over in the face of the Xinhai Revolution. She is best remembered for signing the abdication on behalf of the child Emperor Puyi, in 1911, ending imperial rule in China.
The dawn was too short for them.... Oct 10th 1911, Wuchang Uprising by the new army started the Xinhai Revolution, and the end of Qing Dynasty. The people had decided to change, by overthrowing the Qing emperor, by changing the political system of China, to become a republic.....
Today was the 100 years after the fall of Qing Empire....
Is the past lesson on the political history tell us something? We need to understand the people, otherwise the anger and desire for change by the people will decide the fate of the government.
It does not matter how long the government has ruled the country; the Jasmin flowers will always ready for the government who are not for the people.... just like Tunisia, Egypt, Libya...and the Qing Dynasty 100 years ago.....
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Remember Steve Jobs - Mr Apple
Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life's setbacks -- including death itself -- at the university's 114th Commencement on June 12, 2005.
This is a prepared text of the Commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005
'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says
I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.
The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.
And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.
It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.
Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
My second story is about love and loss.
I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.
I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.
During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.
I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
My third story is about death.
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.
Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Thank you all very much.
(source: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html)
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Hirado(-平戸), Japan
Hirado(平戸),Nagasaki
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Hirado (平戸市 Hirado-shi) is a city in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan.
The city of Hirado is located on the north western tip of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four main islands of Japan. Hirado City consists of populated islands (Hirado(平戸島), Ikitsuki(生月島), Oshima(的山大島), Takushima(度島), and Takashima(鷹島) islands), numerous unpopulated islands with in its vicinity, and the town of Tabira(田平町 Tabira-chō). Part of Nagasaki Prefecture, Hirado and Ikitsuki islands are connected to the main island of Kyushu by bridges.
The part historically named Hirado is located on the island of the same name. On October 1, 2005 Ikitsuki, along with the town of Tabira, and the village of Ōshima, both from Kitamatsuura District, was merged into the expanded city of Hirado. With recent mergers, the city's boundaries have expanded, and Hirado now occupies parts of the main island of Kyūshū. The components are connected by the Hirado Bridge.
Where the East meet West.....Hirado has a long history of interaction with foreign countries. From the Sengoku Period (the Warring States Era from 1467 to 1600) to the beginning of the Edo Period (1603-1867), the city blossomed through trade with the Netherlands and other European countries and was known as `Firando` by the Western visitors. It flourished to become a wealthy trading port that was even called `Firando, Capital of the West`. A cultural crossroad, Hirado still has many historical sites from that period of time.
Hirado had been a port of call for ships between the Asian mainland and Japan since the Nara period. During the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, the local Matsuura clan held the rights to trade with Korea and with Sung Dynasty China. During the Sengoku and early Edo periods, Hirado's role as a center of foreign trade increased, especially vis-a-vis Ming Dynasty China and the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The Portuguese arrived in 1550; and the English and Dutch initially reached Japan at the beginning of the 17th century. At its maximum the Dutch trading center covered the whole area of present-day Sakikata Park.
In 1637 and in 1639, stone warehouses were constructed, and the Dutch builders incorporated these dates into the stonework. However, the Tokugawa shogunate disapproved of the use of any Christian Era year dates, and therefore demanded the immediate destruction of these two structures. This failure to comply with strict sakoku(鎖国,さこく)national isolation policy was then used as one of the Shogunate's rationales for forcing the Dutch traders to abandon Hirado for the more constricting confines of Dejima, a small artificial island in the present-day city of Nagasaki. The last VOC Opperhoofd or Kapitan at Hirado and the first one at Dejima was François Caron, who oversaw the transfer in 1641.
Historian said that the transfer was actually the excuse for the Shogunate to take the Dutch trade away from the Hirado clan. During the Edo period, Hirado was the seat of the Hirado Domain. Hirado Castle is today an historical and architectural landmark.
Kakure Kirishitan - The hidden Christian
Hirado has a long Christian tradition. With the arrival of St Fransisco Xavier in the mid 16th century, many people converted to Christianity. Even during the period of Christian prohibition, people continued their faith underground. When the ban was lifted many people in Hirado became Catholics again and some kept practicing their faith as they did under the ban. They are called Kakure Kirishitan. Many beautiful churches and sights related to this long Christian history can be found in Hirado so come and Discover Hirado!
Some history on hidden Christian
Christianity was proclaimed initially by the Society of Jesus, joined later on by the less cautious Franciscan order. In 1570 there were 20 Catholic missionaries in Japan, the most famous of whom was Francis Xavier, who arrived in 1549. Nagasaki became the center of Japanese Catholicism, and maintained close cultural and religious ties to its Portuguese origins. These ties were severed once Christianity was outlawed; at this point, Catholicism went underground, its rites preserved by the Kakure Kirishitan, or "hidden Christians", who continued practicing their faith in secret. Some Japanese Catholics were killed for their faith, thus becoming martyrs. Many of these martyrs have been canonized by the Church, and their feast is still kept by Catholics as a universal memorial on February 6 each year.
Kakure Kirishitans who refused to renounce their unorthodox, secrecy practices decided not to rejoin Catholic Church, they were called Hanare Kirishitan (離れキリシタン, separated Christians). Ikitsuki Island(生月島), Gotō Islands.
Yamada Church, the last remaining one in Nagasaki Prefecture to have an organized group of Hidden Christians (Kakure Kirishitan) in practice and existence. Located near Yamada Elementary School, this small church holds much history as one of the first and last outposts of Christian belief and persecution in Japan.
Discovery in History
Hirado Castle,also known as Kameoka Castle, looks out over the surrounding blue sea. From the top of the main donjon one can admire the view of the harbour and the primeval forest of little Kurokojima island.
In Konoura village on Oshima Island you can still find the old wooden townhouses lining up next to each other creating a special atmosphere that is reminiscent of an old traditional Japan.
There is Umegayatsu Kairakuen Mansion,a old Japanese style villa.
The Dutch Trading Post, before it was ordered to be moved to Dejima in Nagasaki City, the Dutch Trading Post was located here in Hirado.
William Adams(1564-1620)
The first English citizen to arrive in Japan, Anjin Miura(三浦按針)(Williams Adams' Japanese name)or Anjin-sama became a diplomatic advisor for the Tokugawa Shogunate. William Adams (1564–1620), the English navigator, died here, and the Gravesite can be found here. he became a key advisor to the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu and built for him Japan's first Western-style ships. Adams was later the key player in the establishment of trading factories by the Netherlands and England. He was also highly involved in Japan's Red Seal Asian trade, chartering and captaining several ships to Southeast Asia. He died in Japan at age 55, and has been recognized as one of the most influential foreigners in Japan during this period.
Camillus Costanzo (1571–1622)
Camillus Costanzo (1571–1622), Italian Jesuit martyr, was burnt alive in Hirado. Camillus Costanzo SJ was a soldier and a law student before joining the Naples province of the Society of Jesus in 1591. A native of Calabria, southern Italy. Initially he was sent to China by Jesuit Order ; but the Portuguese prevented his entrance into that country. Instead, his energy and calling were invested in Japan. He learned the Japanese language quickly; and he successfully encouraged converts in the region near the city of Sakai(西海市 Saikai-shi). When all missionaries were banished from Japan, he went to Macao for six years, devoting himself to studying Buddhist texts and writing pamphlets in Japanese. Despite the dangers involved in ignoring the Tokugawa shogunate's exclusionary laws (sakoku), he returned in 1621. Disguised as a soldier, he managed to elude capture until April 24, 1622 when he was arrested on the island of Hirado off the western coast of Kyushu.He was condemned to death; and he was burned alive on September 15, 1622. There is a monument to Costanzo Camillus, Jesuit martyr, located in the mainland part of the modern city of Hirado, formerly the town of Tabira, Japan.
Zheng Chenggong(郑成功/鄭成功)
The Taiwanese national hero and Ming general Koxinga(国姓爷)(1624–1662)was born here.His actual name is Zheng Chenggong(郑成功/鄭成功). Right behind Kawachi Village is a small hill on which the little Maruyama Park is located. Here one can find the mausoleum of Zheng Chenggong. Inside there's a statue of him and every year on July 14 the Tei Seiko Festival is being held at this spot.
He is the son of Zheng Zhilong(鄭芝龍), a Chinese merchant/pirate, and his Japanese wife Tagawa Matsu(田川松),or Weng-shi (翁氏) (1601 - 1646). Born in Kawachi village on Hirado Island, Zheng Chenggong's Japanese name is Tei Seikô.
She gave birth to Koxinga during a trip with her husband when she was picking seashells on the Senli Beach, Sennai River Bank (川內浦千里濱), Hirado.The stone beside which she gave birth still exists today as the Koxinga Child Birth Stone Tablet (鄭成功兒誕石碑), which is 80-cm tall and 3-metre wide, and submerged during high tides.
Tagawa Matsu raised Koxinga in Japan by herself until he was seven, and her closeness with her son is evident in some of the accomplishment and decisions Koxinga made in his adult life.
Later he moved to China with his parents. During the turbulent days of the decline of the Chinese Ming Dynasty and the rise into power of the Qing Dynasty he was active in the movement supporting the Ming. Famous for achievements such as conquering Taiwan and making valuable efforts towards the country’s national land development, he was also called Kokusenya or Koxinga. Koxinga died of malaria at the age of 37, at a relative young age.
In 1995, Hirado started a friendship affiliation with Nan'an City(南安) of Fujian Province, China, the birthplace and homeground of Zheng Chenggong's Chinese father.
Japanese diplomat Inagaki Manjiro(稲垣満次郎)(1861–1908) also born in Hirado.
Discovery the natural beauty
The city is surrounded by the bountiful sea and is blessed with a rich natural environment. Its main industries are fishing and agriculture. It is the northern entrance to the Saikai National Park.
Discovery of the culture
It seems like I am using my blog to promote Hirado, Japan for free.....better look for yourself at their official websites...other than believing in what I wrote to plan your trip to Hirado...
References:
1. Hirado official website, http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/home.htm
2. Religion: Japan's Crypto-Christians, Time Magazine, 11-1-1982 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,925197,00.html
3. Ikitsuki Journal; Once Banned, Christianity Withers in an Old Stronghold, The New York Times, 25-12-2003, http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/25/world/ikitsuki-journal-once-banned-christianity-withers-in-an-old-stronghold.html
4. Koxinga, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koxinga
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Hirado (平戸市 Hirado-shi) is a city in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan.
The city of Hirado is located on the north western tip of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four main islands of Japan. Hirado City consists of populated islands (Hirado(平戸島), Ikitsuki(生月島), Oshima(的山大島), Takushima(度島), and Takashima(鷹島) islands), numerous unpopulated islands with in its vicinity, and the town of Tabira(田平町 Tabira-chō). Part of Nagasaki Prefecture, Hirado and Ikitsuki islands are connected to the main island of Kyushu by bridges.
The part historically named Hirado is located on the island of the same name. On October 1, 2005 Ikitsuki, along with the town of Tabira, and the village of Ōshima, both from Kitamatsuura District, was merged into the expanded city of Hirado. With recent mergers, the city's boundaries have expanded, and Hirado now occupies parts of the main island of Kyūshū. The components are connected by the Hirado Bridge.
Where the East meet West.....Hirado has a long history of interaction with foreign countries. From the Sengoku Period (the Warring States Era from 1467 to 1600) to the beginning of the Edo Period (1603-1867), the city blossomed through trade with the Netherlands and other European countries and was known as `Firando` by the Western visitors. It flourished to become a wealthy trading port that was even called `Firando, Capital of the West`. A cultural crossroad, Hirado still has many historical sites from that period of time.
Hirado had been a port of call for ships between the Asian mainland and Japan since the Nara period. During the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, the local Matsuura clan held the rights to trade with Korea and with Sung Dynasty China. During the Sengoku and early Edo periods, Hirado's role as a center of foreign trade increased, especially vis-a-vis Ming Dynasty China and the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The Portuguese arrived in 1550; and the English and Dutch initially reached Japan at the beginning of the 17th century. At its maximum the Dutch trading center covered the whole area of present-day Sakikata Park.
In 1637 and in 1639, stone warehouses were constructed, and the Dutch builders incorporated these dates into the stonework. However, the Tokugawa shogunate disapproved of the use of any Christian Era year dates, and therefore demanded the immediate destruction of these two structures. This failure to comply with strict sakoku(鎖国,さこく)national isolation policy was then used as one of the Shogunate's rationales for forcing the Dutch traders to abandon Hirado for the more constricting confines of Dejima, a small artificial island in the present-day city of Nagasaki. The last VOC Opperhoofd or Kapitan at Hirado and the first one at Dejima was François Caron, who oversaw the transfer in 1641.
Historian said that the transfer was actually the excuse for the Shogunate to take the Dutch trade away from the Hirado clan. During the Edo period, Hirado was the seat of the Hirado Domain. Hirado Castle is today an historical and architectural landmark.
Kakure Kirishitan - The hidden Christian
Hirado has a long Christian tradition. With the arrival of St Fransisco Xavier in the mid 16th century, many people converted to Christianity. Even during the period of Christian prohibition, people continued their faith underground. When the ban was lifted many people in Hirado became Catholics again and some kept practicing their faith as they did under the ban. They are called Kakure Kirishitan. Many beautiful churches and sights related to this long Christian history can be found in Hirado so come and Discover Hirado!
Some history on hidden Christian
Christianity was proclaimed initially by the Society of Jesus, joined later on by the less cautious Franciscan order. In 1570 there were 20 Catholic missionaries in Japan, the most famous of whom was Francis Xavier, who arrived in 1549. Nagasaki became the center of Japanese Catholicism, and maintained close cultural and religious ties to its Portuguese origins. These ties were severed once Christianity was outlawed; at this point, Catholicism went underground, its rites preserved by the Kakure Kirishitan, or "hidden Christians", who continued practicing their faith in secret. Some Japanese Catholics were killed for their faith, thus becoming martyrs. Many of these martyrs have been canonized by the Church, and their feast is still kept by Catholics as a universal memorial on February 6 each year.
Kakure Kirishitans who refused to renounce their unorthodox, secrecy practices decided not to rejoin Catholic Church, they were called Hanare Kirishitan (離れキリシタン, separated Christians). Ikitsuki Island(生月島), Gotō Islands.
Yamada Church, the last remaining one in Nagasaki Prefecture to have an organized group of Hidden Christians (Kakure Kirishitan) in practice and existence. Located near Yamada Elementary School, this small church holds much history as one of the first and last outposts of Christian belief and persecution in Japan.
Discovery in History
Hirado Castle,also known as Kameoka Castle, looks out over the surrounding blue sea. From the top of the main donjon one can admire the view of the harbour and the primeval forest of little Kurokojima island.
In Konoura village on Oshima Island you can still find the old wooden townhouses lining up next to each other creating a special atmosphere that is reminiscent of an old traditional Japan.
There is Umegayatsu Kairakuen Mansion,a old Japanese style villa.
The Dutch Trading Post, before it was ordered to be moved to Dejima in Nagasaki City, the Dutch Trading Post was located here in Hirado.
William Adams(1564-1620)
The first English citizen to arrive in Japan, Anjin Miura(三浦按針)(Williams Adams' Japanese name)or Anjin-sama became a diplomatic advisor for the Tokugawa Shogunate. William Adams (1564–1620), the English navigator, died here, and the Gravesite can be found here. he became a key advisor to the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu and built for him Japan's first Western-style ships. Adams was later the key player in the establishment of trading factories by the Netherlands and England. He was also highly involved in Japan's Red Seal Asian trade, chartering and captaining several ships to Southeast Asia. He died in Japan at age 55, and has been recognized as one of the most influential foreigners in Japan during this period.
Camillus Costanzo (1571–1622)
Camillus Costanzo (1571–1622), Italian Jesuit martyr, was burnt alive in Hirado. Camillus Costanzo SJ was a soldier and a law student before joining the Naples province of the Society of Jesus in 1591. A native of Calabria, southern Italy. Initially he was sent to China by Jesuit Order ; but the Portuguese prevented his entrance into that country. Instead, his energy and calling were invested in Japan. He learned the Japanese language quickly; and he successfully encouraged converts in the region near the city of Sakai(西海市 Saikai-shi). When all missionaries were banished from Japan, he went to Macao for six years, devoting himself to studying Buddhist texts and writing pamphlets in Japanese. Despite the dangers involved in ignoring the Tokugawa shogunate's exclusionary laws (sakoku), he returned in 1621. Disguised as a soldier, he managed to elude capture until April 24, 1622 when he was arrested on the island of Hirado off the western coast of Kyushu.He was condemned to death; and he was burned alive on September 15, 1622. There is a monument to Costanzo Camillus, Jesuit martyr, located in the mainland part of the modern city of Hirado, formerly the town of Tabira, Japan.
Zheng Chenggong(郑成功/鄭成功)
The Taiwanese national hero and Ming general Koxinga(国姓爷)(1624–1662)was born here.His actual name is Zheng Chenggong(郑成功/鄭成功). Right behind Kawachi Village is a small hill on which the little Maruyama Park is located. Here one can find the mausoleum of Zheng Chenggong. Inside there's a statue of him and every year on July 14 the Tei Seiko Festival is being held at this spot.
He is the son of Zheng Zhilong(鄭芝龍), a Chinese merchant/pirate, and his Japanese wife Tagawa Matsu(田川松),or Weng-shi (翁氏) (1601 - 1646). Born in Kawachi village on Hirado Island, Zheng Chenggong's Japanese name is Tei Seikô.
She gave birth to Koxinga during a trip with her husband when she was picking seashells on the Senli Beach, Sennai River Bank (川內浦千里濱), Hirado.The stone beside which she gave birth still exists today as the Koxinga Child Birth Stone Tablet (鄭成功兒誕石碑), which is 80-cm tall and 3-metre wide, and submerged during high tides.
Tagawa Matsu raised Koxinga in Japan by herself until he was seven, and her closeness with her son is evident in some of the accomplishment and decisions Koxinga made in his adult life.
Later he moved to China with his parents. During the turbulent days of the decline of the Chinese Ming Dynasty and the rise into power of the Qing Dynasty he was active in the movement supporting the Ming. Famous for achievements such as conquering Taiwan and making valuable efforts towards the country’s national land development, he was also called Kokusenya or Koxinga. Koxinga died of malaria at the age of 37, at a relative young age.
In 1995, Hirado started a friendship affiliation with Nan'an City(南安) of Fujian Province, China, the birthplace and homeground of Zheng Chenggong's Chinese father.
Japanese diplomat Inagaki Manjiro(稲垣満次郎)(1861–1908) also born in Hirado.
Discovery the natural beauty
The city is surrounded by the bountiful sea and is blessed with a rich natural environment. Its main industries are fishing and agriculture. It is the northern entrance to the Saikai National Park.
Discovery of the culture
It seems like I am using my blog to promote Hirado, Japan for free.....better look for yourself at their official websites...other than believing in what I wrote to plan your trip to Hirado...
References:
1. Hirado official website, http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/home.htm
2. Religion: Japan's Crypto-Christians, Time Magazine, 11-1-1982 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,925197,00.html
3. Ikitsuki Journal; Once Banned, Christianity Withers in an Old Stronghold, The New York Times, 25-12-2003, http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/25/world/ikitsuki-journal-once-banned-christianity-withers-in-an-old-stronghold.html
4. Koxinga, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koxinga
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